As Summer and her friends continued their search for Rayquaza through alternating heat and rain, they encountered a dense fog in the ocean. Through her connection with the Legendary Beasts, Summer guided Yuki and Aster to Mirage Island, a hidden place only inhabited by wild Wynaut. The Pokémon showed them a cave that held lost secrets of the Draconids, including the location of Rayquaza's resting place at Sky Pillar. With this new information, the group prepared to leave but were bombarded by a sudden storm. Summer was swept into the ocean, with Aster and Yuki jumping in after her. Will Aster be able to save Summer in time, and will they be able to find Sky Pillar?
Chapter 52- Ascending Towards the Sky
Ugh…not again… If I had a Pokédollar for every time I've been swept into the Hoenn seas, I'd have two. It's not a lot, but it's weird that it's happened twice.
"Summer! Summer! Please, wake up!"
I blearily opened my eyes and saw Aster kneeling over me. We were under the shade of a palm tree, and the sun was beginning its afternoon descent. After coughing out some seawater, I muttered. "A-Aster?"
"Oh, thank Lord Rayquaza you are all right. Yuki and I tried to rescue you, but it appears we got separated."
I bolted up. "Oh no! I didn't mean for that to happen! Let me see if I can give her a call."
I pulled out my slightly damp Pokégear and held my breath. To my relief, she answered.
{Summer! I'm so glad to hear from you!}
"Me too, Yuki! Where are you?"
{Funnily enough, I'm in Pacifidlog Town.}
"You are? How did the current push you that far west?"
{I'm…not sure… I did try to head back to Route 131, but for some reason, an invisible force was holding me back.}
An invisible force? That is strange…
{Is Aster with you, Summer?}
"She is. Why do you ask?"
{Well, I was thinking about this since I washed up in the town… Maybe this invisible force is not just blocking me from entering, it's also keeping you and Aster within its boundary.}
"Wait, you mean-?" I looked up and saw a six-story tower with constellations surrounding the outside walls. "W-We're at Sky Pillar…"
{I knew it! That means we're almost close to our goal. You continue to help Aster.}
"What about you, Yuki?"
She giggled. {I was able to get in contact with Weldon, so I'll be helping them on my end. Good luck to both of you!}
After thanking the Coordinator and hanging up, I felt Aster's heart beat with excitement and worry.
"So…we're finally here…at my ancestors' tower… I-I never expected it to be so magnificent."
I smiled. "Are you ready, Aster?"
She gave a firm nod. "Yes. It is time for me to fulfill my role as the Lorekeeper."
We walked inside, the musty smell entering our noses. Most of the structure was intact, though there were sizable gaps showing the floors above. As we ascended via sets of secured ladders, I noticed some elaborate murals showing large Pokémon and people dressed in robes and headdresses.
"Aster, do you know anything about these depictions?"
"I do, actually. It was one of the first things I learned growing up. Our tribe originally arrived to Hoenn from the Kanto Region, and our strengths have always lied in astronomy and the raising of Dragon types." Then she noticed the largest mural and frowned. "This shows the battle between Groudon and Kyogre, with Lord Rayquaza dispelling their conflict amongst the heavens."
"It looks…more detailed than the mural depicted inside Granite Cave."
"That makes sense. After all, my people were first-hand witnesses to that monumental event, and it was what caused them to build this tower in the first place. But still…I still feel terrible that we never even knew about Sky Pillar until now."
"Why is that, Aster?"
She looked at the crumbling infrastructure. "The architects of Sky Pillar and the altar on Mirage Island never returned to Meteor Falls, including my ancestor, Ryūji. We still do not know what befell them; the only proof we even had of the tower's potential existence was the testimonies from their Dragon type Pokémon that returned. Ryūji's family was never able to obtain the tower or even Mirage Island's location from them, so the Pokémon's stories eventually became legends passed amongst our people. Being here in one of the places he last visited, it is as if I can feel Ryūji's spirit through my brace. It was originally his, after all…"
I felt her sorrow and left her to think in silence. We continued our climb, conversing as needed, until we reached the very top. This floor was in better condition, with an altar in the center.
Aster's face was filled with disappointment. "H-How can this be? Our information cannot be incorrect…"
"Maybe Rayquaza is somewhere else, Aster," I reassured.
"I certainly hope so," she replied, looking at the clear orange sky slowing darkening into night.
We waited for several more hours, watching the stars slowly appear above. It was starting to become hopeless until a most extraordinary thing happened. The altar began to glow a soft green. We looked up and saw the Rayquaza constellation slowly shift towards the top of Sky Pillar. Once it was directly above us, the light became brighter, as if it was acting like a beacon. A few seconds later, a blur of green and yellow descended onto the tower.
[Rayquaza, the Sky High Pokémon. A Pokémon that flies endlessly in the ozone layer. It is said it would descend to the ground if Kyogre and Groudon were to fight.]
"L-Lord Rayquaza…" Aster murmured. "It's really him…"
"SILENCE, HUMANS!" the Legendary Pokémon shouted. "How DARE you invade the Dragonhark Altar and Sky Pillar, MY PRIVATE DOMAIN!"
He's a lot more aggressive than I anticipated.
The Draconid bowed to the Dragon type. "Lord Rayquaza, as the Lorekeeper and-"
"I SAID SILENCE! I do not care who you are! You are trespassers and you must LEAVE!"
Rayquaza roared, forcing us to brace ourselves.
"It appears my words are not getting to him!" Aster shouted amongst the raging wind.
"Then I'll try." I stood up and faced the green Pokémon. "Rayquaza! Please, we need your help!"
The Legendary Pokémon scoffed. "HELP?! Why should I help those who abandoned me?!"
"Who abandoned you?"
"THE DRACONIDS! They were supposed to worship me and tend to my needs since the great battle many moons ago. They made this pillar as a symbol of our relationship. But since then, it has been damaged. A symbol of their betrayal!"
I frowned. This Pokémon is more vain than a Persian.
Aster took a deep breath then responded, "Lord Rayquaza, I am a member of the Draconids, and we did not abandon you. We passed down your story of kindness and bravery since that incident many moons ago. And now, history is about to repeat itself. The ancient Pokémon, Groudon and Kyogre, are fighting again!"
"LIES! I have flown by this land for the past 14 suns and have seen no weather disturbances. You have lied to me for the last time, humans! Now, PERISH!"
He opened his mouth and formed an orb of swirling water. We dodged the Water Pulse and knew we had no other choice.
"Go, Rocky!"
"Ad caelum, Tiayi!"
The Steelix and Altaria stood side by side, ready to face against their strongest opponent yet. But the Draconid had one more trick up her sleeve. She pressed the Mega Stone on her arm brace.
"Tiayi, Mega Evolve!"
The orange and blue pulses of light collided, and the Humming Pokémon began to transform. The cotton fluff on her body became thicker, and a new puff appeared on her head. After the change, the Mega Evolution symbol briefly materialized over her head.
Rayquaza snarled. "How dare you MOCK ME!" He flew in circles, increasing his strength and speed.
"Be careful, Summer!" Aster warned. "Lord Rayquaza just used Dragon Dance! Tiayi, Safeguard!"
The Mega Altaria created a translucent blue barrier, protecting us from status conditions. Those actions, however, wouldn't help us as much. The Legendary Pokémon dove at Tiayi with his green glowing claws. I was about to have Rocky protect her, but Aster gave me a knowing smile. Rayquaza slashed at the Humming Pokémon, but to his surprise, the move didn't do any damage.
"H-How can this BE?" he roared.
Aster answered, "That's because Mega Altaria is a Dragon and Fairy type, and Fairy types are immune against Dragon type moves."
"Hmph," Rayquaza responded with a flick of his tail. "This will not stop me!"
He dove and charged at Tiayi in a flash of white light, which I recognized as Aerial Ace. This time, Rocky and I wouldn't be idle.
"Rocky, Stone Edge!"
The Steel type roared and hurled shards of stone at the approaching Dragon type. Rayquaza attempted to shield himself from the super effective move, but he was forced to fly up to avoid taking more damage.
Seeing we had the upper hand, I shouted, "Rocky, Dragonbreath!"
"Tiayi, power up that Dragonbreath with Dragon Pulse!"
Tiayi shot a burst of blue energy into the green flames, which morphed into a blue dragon streaked with purple and green. The combined attack struck Rayquaza, but he wasn't that fazed.
"A light hit," he scoffed.
After doing another Dragon Dance, he charged at Tiayi with a stronger and faster Aerial Ace. The attack made its mark, but the Mega Altaria was able to recover.
"Cover me, Summer!" Aster called out. "Tiayi, Ice Beam!"
Rayquaza attempted to block the super effective move with a Water Pulse, but I commanded, "Rocky, knock it back with Iron Tail!"
The Steelix stood in front of his partner and swung the Water type move back to its user. Rayquaza sneered but realized that the orb crossed the Ice type move's path. The Water Pulse froze, turning it into an icy projectile. The second combined move hit the High Sky Pokémon, but he refused to yield.
Rayquaza turned his attention to the Steel type, aiming several Water Pulses at him.
"Stone Edge!"
Rocky slammed his tail into the ground, creating large spikes of rock as a barrier. They were able to stop most of the orbs, but some of them broke the rocks and struck the Metal Snake Pokémon. Rocky roared in pain but was still standing.
Laughing, Rayquaza struck a momentarily distracted Tiayi with Aerial Ace, knocking her onto the floor. She winced but was able to fly back into the air.
"Lord Rayquaza is as strong as the legends say…" the Draconid acknowledged. "We must devise a different strategy to quell his anger."
"Then let's see if we can take advantage of Tiayi's Fairy typing," I advised.
Aster smiled. "Excellent idea, Summer. We will follow your lead."
"Okay. Rocky, Dragonbreath!"
The Rock Snake Pokémon shot the green flames at the powerful opponent, which the latter easily evaded.
"Is that the best a serpentine Pokémon can do?" the Legendary Pokémon taunted. "What a dis-"
A charging Tiayi, surrounded by large pink hearts, interrupted his insult and dealt a strong amount of damage. Rayquaza fell onto the altar, momentarily dazed.
"Was that Return?" I asked. "That looked much stronger than a regular one."
"It was but it is a little different than normal," the Lorekeeper replied. "That is because Tiayi now has Pixilate, an ability that changes Normal type moves to Fairy type."
Our talk was interrupted by the Legendary Pokémon's roar.
"I AM NOT THROUGH!" He circled the air then charged a Water Pulse, bigger than any we've seen before.
"Rocky, Dragonbreath!"
"Tiayi, Dragon Pulse!"
The combined Dragon type move destroyed the enlarged orb, but it was a decoy. Rayquaza charged his claws and dove at Rocky and Tiayi with Aerial Ace. The additional speed powered his Dragon Claw, knocking down both Pokémon with ease.
"Rocky!"
"Tiayi!"
But our Pokémon didn't respond, and the Altaria returned to her normal form.
After returning Rocky and Tiayi, I prepared to send out Lightning.
The Draconid stopped me. "We…We cannot let the rest of our Pokémon suffer the same fate…"
"But we can't give up, Aster!" I shouted. "The region needs our help!"
The Sky High Pokémon laughed triumphantly. "If you are giving up here, you have proven that you are not worthy. NOW LEAVE!"
Summer's Pokémon:
Blaze (Blaziken, male): Brave Nature, Blaze Ability, moves: Fire Punch, Flamethrower, Blaze Kick, Sky Uppercut
Errol (Noctowl, male): Rash Nature, Keen Eye Ability, moves: Psychic, Hypnosis, Air Slash, Heat Wave
Aurora (Dewgong, female): Calm Nature, Thick Fat Ability, moves: Water Pulse, Ice Beam, Aqua Tail, Signal Beam
Lightning (Raichu, female): Adamant Nature, Static Ability, moves: Thunderbolt, Iron Tail, Thunder Punch, Grass Knot
Rocky (Steelix, male): Lonely Nature, Rock Head Ability, moves: Stone Edge, Crunch, Dragonbreath, Iron Tail
Olive (Grovyle, female): Timid Nature, Overgrow Ability, moves: Fury Cutter, Double Team, Leaf Blade, Quick Attack
Questions for the Chapter:
What do you think of Rayquaza?
Will Summer and Aster be able to convince Rayquaza to finally help?
